[csswg-drafts] [meta][css-2026] List of suggested extensions to CSS (#13395)

Crissov has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts:

== [meta][css-2026] List of suggested extensions to CSS ==
I recently stumbled over an old [W3C Note[(https://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-CSS-potential) about suggested extensions to CSS Level 2. I spend some time to evaluate whether those additions have landed 27 years later, and in which module.

01. [x] Columns: [css-multicol](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-multicol/)
02. [x] Swash letters and other glyph substitutions: [css-fonts](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/#propdef-font-variant-alternates) although the suggestion was more low-level
03. [x] Running headers and footers: [css-page](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-page/) and [css-content](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-content/#named-strings)
04. [x] Cross-references: [css-content](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-content/#target-text-function)
05. [x] Vertical text: [css-writing-modes](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-writing-modes/) etc.
06. [x] Ruby: [css-ruby](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-ruby/)
07. [x] Diagonal text & text along a path: [css-transforms](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-transforms/) although the suggestion seemed to ask for something simpler
08. [x] Style properties for embedded 2D graphics: [css-link-params](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-link-params/#funcdef-param)
09. [x] Hyphenation control: [css-text](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text/#propdef-hyphens) but no custom exception
10. [x] Image filters: [css-filter-effects](https://drafts.csswg.org/filter-effects/)
11. [x] Rendering objects for forms: [css-ui](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-ui/#propdef-appearance) and [css-forms](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-forms/)
12. [x] A pseudo-element for the URL #fragment-id: [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#target-pseudo) and [css-pseudo](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-pseudo/#selectordef-target-text)
13. [x] Floating boxes to top & bottom of a page: [css-page-floats](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-page-floats/)
14. [ ] Footnotes: neither solved directly in CSS nor HTML, but see #12472 and the necessary components are mostly in [css-content](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-content/) and [css-page-floats](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-page-floats/)
15. [ ] "Tooltips"/"balloonhelp": either [css-anchor-position](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-anchor-position/) or #8930
16. [x] Math: [MathML](https://w3c.github.io/mathml-core/#css-extensions-for-math-layout) and at least [css-fonts](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/#valdef-font-family-math), [css-text](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-4/#valdef-text-transform-math-auto) and [css-inline](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-inline-3/#valdef-dominant-baseline-mathematical)
17. [ ] Folding lists (_not the most descriptive title_)
18. [x] Page-transition effects: [css-view-transitions](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-view-transitions/) and [css-transitions](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-transitions/)
19. [x] Timed styles: [css-animations](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-animations/) etc.
20. [x] Leaders: [css-content](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-content/#funcdef-leader)
21. [ ] Smart tabs: maybe #5316 for _table_ layout, should be possible in _flex_ and _(sub-)grid_
22. [ ] Spreadsheet functions: `content: calc(…)` is not sufficient for that, probably considered out of scope
23. [x] Non-rectangular wrap-around: [css-shapes](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-shapes/#shape-outside-property)
24. [x] Gradient & stretched backgrounds: [css-backgrounds](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-backgrounds/#background-size) and [css-images](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-images/#gradients)
25. [x] Textures/images instead of foreground colors: [css-images](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-images/#gradients) and [css-filter-effects](https://drafts.csswg.org/filter-effects/), I guess
26. [x] Transparency: [css-color](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-color/#propdef-opacity) etc.
27. [x] Constant expressions: [css-values](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-values/#math) functions and units mostly, but references still to do, e.g. #2864, #12604, #9459
28. [x] Symbolic constants: [css-variables](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-variables/), i.e. custom properties
29. [ ] Mixed mode rendering: not really covered by [mediaqueries](https://drafts.csswg.org/mediaqueries/)
30. [ ] Grid-device properties: is this more than the `ch` unit? [css-values](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-values/#font-relative-lengths)
31. [x] Co-dependencies between rules: [css-conditional](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-conditional/#at-ruledef-supports)
32. [ ] High-level constraints: a bit different than deterministic calculations [css-values](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-values/#math)
33. [x] Float: gutter-side/fore-edge-side: [css-logical](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-logical/#page) and [css-page-floats](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-page-floats/)
34. [ ] Icons & minimization: ~~[css-ui until 2012-01-17](https://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-css3-ui-20120117/#icon-property)~~, #2831 and #4295 are somewhat related
35. [x] Namespaces: [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#type-nmsp) and [css-values](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-values-5/#attr-notation)
36. [ ] Braille: only coincidental
37. [ ] Numbered floats: probably part of #12472
38. [ ] "Visual" top/bottom margins
39. [ ] ToC's, tables of figures, etc.: some basics  in [css-content](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-content/)
40. [ ] Indexes
41. [ ] pseudo-element: #13329
42. [ ] 'First-word' pseudo-element: perhaps doable with [css-highlight-api](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-highlight-api/)
43. [x] Corner pieces for borders: [css-borders](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-borders/#corners)
44. [x] Local and external anchors: [selectors-5](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors-5/#local-pseudo)
45. [ ] Access to attribute values: could be partially achieved with custom properties or named strings in combination with attribute selectors and the `attr()` function
46. [ ] Linked flows: ~~[css-regions](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-regions/)~~, [css-overflow-5+](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-overflow-5/#fragmentation) and [css-break](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-break/#break-decoration)
47. [ ] Pseudo-classes for user states: probably not complete in [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#useraction-pseudos), see e.g. #9205
48. [x] List numbering generalized and internationalized: [css-counter-styles](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-counter-styles/)
49. [x] "Subtractive" text-decoration: [css-text-decor](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-decor/)? `display: contents`?
50. [ ] Style for HTML's MAP & AREA elements: perhaps in scope of [css-forms](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-forms/)
51. [ ] Transliteration: in scope of #3132
52. [ ] Regular expressions in selectors: #1010, for attributes [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#attribute-substrings)
53. [x] Last-of... selectors: [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#child-index)
54. [ ] Control over progressive rendering: is this sufficiently covered by resourece-state pseudo-classes in [selectors](https://drafts.csswg.org/selectors/#resource-pseudos)?
55. [x] Inline-block: [css-display](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-display/#valdef-display-inline-block)
56. [x] Non-breaking inline elements: [css-text](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-4/#text-wrapping)
57. [x] Suppress word spacing: probably covered by [css-text](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-4/#white-space-processing)
58. [x] HSV or HSL color notation: [css-color](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-color/#the-hsl-notation)
59. [x] 140-odd color names: [css-color](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-color/#named-colors)
60. [ ] Copyfitting/auto-sizing/auto-spacing: #12885, #12886, #12887, #12888
61. [x] @page inside @media: [css-conditional](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-conditional/#at-media) and [css-page](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-page/#at-page-rule)
62. [ ] Color profiles: could perhaps somewhat be achieved by combining [mediaqueries](https://drafts.csswg.org/mediaqueries/#mf-colors) and external color profiles from [css-color](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-color-5/#at-profile)
63. [x] Underline styles: [css-text-decor](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-text-decor/#text-decoration-style-property)
64. [ ] Actions/behaviors mixed in with styles: ~~[becss](https://www.w3.org/TR/becss/)~~
65. [ ] Comment syntax "//"
66. [x] Replaced elements without an intrinsic size: [css-images](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-images-4/#sizing)
67. [x] Fitting replaced elements into a given space: [css-images](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-images-4/#sizing)

Please correct me where I'm wrong.

For what it's still worth, there is of course also the [CSSWG wiki with some collected ideas](https://wiki.csswg.org/ideas).

Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/13395 using your GitHub account


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Received on Sunday, 25 January 2026 20:08:54 UTC